As people arrived to keep to their appointments they had to face a monumental mess not of their making.

Doctors and others had to do their very best to keep things going, as results of medical examinations etc were given to patients hand-written in scraps of paper.

The spectacle was deplorable and some patients who lost their patience were heard saying: This is all we needed.

Clearly, there were regular users who were not entirely happy with the service provided at the best of times, not because of doctor and staff, but because the system is in need of review to provide a service that is in keeping with the times we live in.

From 7 am, technicians worked hard to bring the computers back to normal, but the whole morning passed and there was no joy. It was not until 12.30pm that the system was restored.

Questioned by PANORAMA, a Government spokesman said that ‘The GHA Clinical Informatics Team was made aware of an issue with EMIS Web and Symphony, the A&E Electronic Patient system, yesterday morning. As of 12:30pm, the EMIS Web and Symphony systems were restored to normal functionality.'

Patients can be fully assured that any appointments made with clerks will be transferred to the electronic systems immediately, and all consultation information from clinics will also be transferred safely and securely to EMIS with no loss of clinical information, ’ we were told officially.

21-05-19 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR